Synopses & Reviews

Review

The execution falls short of the well conceived concept of Hyde’s first novel a contemporary series launch. Widowed Reed College literature professor Emily Cavanaugh travels to the peaceful seaside retreat of Stony Beach Ore. after her late great aunt Beatrice Runcible leaves her 6 million a mansion and most of the buildings in town. It isn’t long before Emily hears rumors that Aunt Beatrice may have been murdered to clear the way for a resort development that she vehemently opposed. Now the property belongs to Emily who’s equally determined to maintain the town’s character. Another suspicious death and a couple of close calls show that someone wants Emily out of the way as well. There’s no mistaking who’s on Emily’s side and who’s against her. The good guys are charming and the bad guys are mustache twirling villains. Hopefully Hyde will give her characters more depth in the sequel. Agent: Kimberly Cameron Kimberly Cameron amp; Associates. (July) " Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."

Review

The execution falls short of the well conceived concept of Hyde’s first novel a contemporary series launch. Widowed Reed College literature professor Emily Cavanaugh travels to the peaceful seaside retreat of Stony Beach Ore. after her late great aunt Beatrice Runcible leaves her 6 million a mansion and most of the buildings in town. It isn’t long before Emily hears rumors that Aunt Beatrice may have been murdered to clear the way for a resort development that she vehemently opposed. Now the property belongs to Emily who’s equally determined to maintain the town’s character. Another suspicious death and a couple of close calls show that someone wants Emily out of the way as well. There’s no mistaking who’s on Emily’s side and who’s against her. The good guys are charming and the bad guys are mustache twirling villains. Hopefully Hyde will give her characters more depth in the sequel. Agent: Kimberly Cameron Kimberly Cameron amp; Associates. (July) " Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."

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What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating 3 (1 comments)

Arsenic with Austen had too much romance and too little mystery. The romance between Emily and Luke dominated the book (along with Emily’s thoughts of Luke which went on and on for many pages). These two have not seen each other in 35 years, but Luke loves her like it was just yesterday. Emily keeps obsessing over Luke from the moment she starts driving to the town (it was obnoxious). Emily acted more like a lovesick teenager than a woman in her 50s with regard to Luke. There is a Christian theme to the book (especially about forgiveness). The mystery seemed complicated, but it was really basic and simple to solve. There are quotes from various Austen books at the beginning of each chapter, and Emily compares people in the town with various characters from literature (mostly from Austen’s books). I found the book easy to read (nice writing), but the pace was slow until the end (the pursuit). I give Arsenic with Austen 3 out of 5 stars. One character that I did not like was Emily’s friend, Margaritte. I found her annoying (the feminine wiles and how she captivates every man). I wish the author had written her a little differently. Will I read the next book in the series? I probably will to see if there is improvement (every series deserves a second chance).
I received a complimentary copy of Arsenic with Austen from NetGalley in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel. The opinions and comments above are strictly my own.